The Luster's Shadow
by GrimNightingale
Summary: In order to escape the shadows of which we are from, we must each shine our own unique light. Even the newly appointed Kazekage has finally found his. Yet a lone girl remains walking within shadows. Blind, she lashes out at the light in fury. Gaaraxoc
1. Full Moon

As promised, here is the Gaara fanfic meant to tide you over and hopefully keep you from getting mad at me. I'm really sorry about the other fic, but it'll be continued later. After this one. And er... the Yondaime one... Hahaha... Ha... (It's actually cute so check it out!)

I hope you enjoy this one.

Gaara and the Naruto series is not mine and will never be mine. Sad, but true. I'll learn to live with the harsh fact, though.

* * *

**The Luster's Shadow**

* * *

The full moon was finally beginning to wane. Shukaku's bloodlust; suppressed. The Kazekage of Suna sat lax in his office chair with his hands folded in front of his face. His two older siblings stood in front of him with grave expressions on their faces. 

It truly was an odd sight to behold. His oldest sister had short blonde hair pulled up into four ponytails. His older brother had short brown hair that was hidden by his black hood making him resemble that of a cat. He, himself, had short and messy blood-red hair that would not obey him if it were the end of the world.

All three of them bore dark rings around their eyes to show their sleep deprivation over the past few nights. The youngest was the most apparent, however, since it was caused by both being the raccoon demon's container and sleep deprivation- over the collection of years and not just days. It was more of a permanent feature that accentuated his sea-green eyes. Temari opened her mouth to break the silence.

"Gaara, the elders want you to train your taijutsu but… It's only another month before…"

"I know."

"Then you shouldn't go! We should start making preparations."

"What preparations could we possibly make?" Temari stopped her argument and sighed.

"I don't know. It just seems like we should do something to prepare for the worst case scenario."

It was Gaara's turn to sigh but he did so inwardly. Kankurou stood on his younger brother's side and tried to reason with Temari.

"Gaara can handle himself. Besides, wouldn't it be nice to let Gaara take a break from his duties right now?"

"He already has enough trouble handling Shukaku on normal full moons!"

"It's another month Temari. Besides, it's not his choice to leave. The elders want him to train with the old man. We can't really argue with them." Kankurou pat his sister's back trying to calm her nerves.

"What? I'm really not that old guys!" All three sand siblings instantly shot their eyes up to look at the sudden intruder. The man stood right behind between Temari and Kankurou. He seemed to be in his early thirties. His long blond hair was swept back and left in a ponytail. He wore a black tank top with long black pants and a silver-painted Jounin vest over it. His eyes portrayed kindness but his facial features looked rough as though he had experienced many battles in his time.

"Taka-sensei." Gaara merely nodded from his desk. The man gave a nod back and smiled at Temari.

"Don't you worry, little lady. I'll be taking good care of your little brother. I'll be sure to have him back a few days before the next full moon." He gave a thumb up and grinned, his teeth sparkling.

Temari stared at him as if he were a little blood-squirting toad to be squashed. This man was utterly ridiculous!

"Excuse me, but do you happen to have any relation to Konoha's Gai-sensei?" Kankurou asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He happens to be my adorable little cousin three times removed. How do you know him?"

All three siblings had the same thought. Related? There appeared to be no similarities on the outside since this man was rather handsome but the similarities personality-wise were uncanny.

"T-That's not important right now." Kankurou mumbled. "When are you leaving with Gaara?"

"Oh, actually, that's why I'm here. I intend to start right away." All three stared at him. He moved towards the door and gave a glance back. "Coming, Gaara-san?"

The red-head stood and crossed over the room following Taka. He felt the concerned looks of his older siblings on his back. He paused in the doorway and without looking back gave his directions.

"Take care of Suna while I'm away. I'll be back soon enough." It was not given merely as a farewell but a polite warning that when he came back, he expected Suna to still be in one piece and the children protected from Kankurou's wrath.

* * *

Gaara walked beside Taka toward his home on the very edge of the wind country, carrying only the clothes on his back and his gourd. This man liked to live secluded and far away from people. It was no real wonder why since this man had become rather famously known for his taijutsu skills. Which was the exact reason why the elders had recommended him to watch over Gaara's training for he greatly lacked in those skills. 

The man seemed funny and easy-going but was actually quite serious, contrary to his siblings' first impression on him. They continued to walk along the sand towards their destination, Taka occasionally taking a swig from his canteen. After quite the sum of hours, Taka pointed towards the trees that were starting to spring up randomly in the sand. Behind the stretch of them lay the dense forest bordering the Fire country. A few hundred yards of walking later, they came upon the middle of a circle of trees.

"We're finally here." Taka sighed. He formed several hand signs before resting his hand against some kind of barrier in the air. Gaara watched with interest as the air around his hand blurred and swirled until it revealed a small house. He entered the house with Gaara slowly following him with his arms sternly crossed.

Once they entered the house, Taka shuffled around and removed a straw mat from the floor in the middle of the room. He then lifted another mat that matched the ground perfectly to reveal a hidden wood door on the ground. He glanced up at Gaara with his dark green eyes and chuckled a bit.

"Just an extra precaution." He grinned and jumped down through the hole.

Now, Gaara paused and recapped on Taka's file and possible motives before deciding whether or not to jump. He had not heard any screams as of yet so he cautiously peered down the opening to find a set of narrow and long stairs cast in shadows. He stepped down and continued down the stairs before he heard the wooden door shut on top of him. He was now cloaked in complete darkness and stood still for a few seconds.

"Hey, are you going to come train with us or stand there on the stairs?" He heard Taka yell.

Gaara caught what he said though and wondered what Taka meant when he said 'we.' Sure enough, he would find out as he continued following the curves of the stairs leading him deeper underground. He spotted the blinding light and passed through it.

He slightly squinted into the light and before his eyes could adjust, several kunai were thrown towards him. Instantly without his even commanding it, sand shot out from his gourd and absorbed them.

"Hmph. It doesn't look like he's any good at taijutsu whatsoever. It's absolutely pathetic how much he relies on his sand to protect him."

A feminine scoff was heard as Gaara's sand lowered and dropped the kunai with a metal clang. Revealed to his eyes were Taka and two younger people in a large room lit brightly with large hanging lights. There was a man that looked to be close to Temari's age of 18 with dark forest-green hair. Taka and the older man stood next to each other but the third person stood farther away. It was the female that had scoffed at him earlier and presumably thrown the wayward kunai. Taka opened his mouth to speak.

"Yoko. You are too harsh." He ran his hand through his young golden locks and closed his eyes.

"Besides, it's wasn't sensei's choice to train him." Spoke the older boy.

"Jin." Taka spoke in a slightly warning tone. "I took on this mission myself because Suna needs our help. It's the least we could do for our home, ninja or not." Gaara didn't miss the glance Taka gave to the girl.

"Do what you must. It does not concern me." The girl named Yoko turned and started to walk away towards the open space that seemed to be used as an underground gym.

"Yoko. It will be partly your duty to train him as well as yours, Jin."

The green haired boy nodded while the girl merely looked back with an agitated expression on her face.

"I'll need to leave and run a few errands. I'll leave you three young students of mine to get properly acquainted with each other." Taka grinned and headed past Gaara towards the stairs and called back as he walked with a wave. "Yoko, be good. See you later." With that, he was gone and all three students of Taka's heard the door slam shut. They stood in silence for a while before Gaara watched Yoko turn to stare across the gym at him.

"So this is the great Kazekage that's just come into office."

She started to walk towards him and Gaara finally took in her full image. She was his age and wore black shorts with a simple gray tank top. On her legs were dark blue leg warmers with white pin stripes. Her silver hair was in two braids that stopped short just below her shoulders and her eyes were an unfazed cold blue. She seemed to be sizing him up as well as she circled around him with a stern expression.

"You really don't seem like much. Looks don't tell everything though." She sneered.

"Yoko." The older boy, Jin called. She did not heed his warning though and continued circling Gaara.

"Your eyes betray your stoic form. You've seen pain. You've felt it personally, haven't you?" She laughed lowly. "Betrayal? Tell me, was it a family member that you trusted?"

"Yoko." The boy called again. Yoko merely glanced back up at Gaara's eyes.

"Ah, so it was. Tell me, how did it feel? Good? Was there blood?" Gaara kept his expression straight but he felt a spark of anger within him. Who did this young girl think she was to speak to him so? "You've yet to love, hm? Want to protect the village to prove your worth and gain respect?"

By then, Yoko had circled him for the sixth time and stopped behind him. He felt her lean up and speak lowly in his ear.

"What does dear Shukaku think of this? Aren't you betraying him as well as the village by putting them in such danger?" At this, Gaara's sand started to stir beneath them.

"Yoko, enough!" Jin shouted. "We're supposed to train him to become stronger, not interrogate him for the sake of revenge."

Revenge? The red headed Kazekage thought he felt something graze his shoulder before he heard Yoko laugh. It was not possible for the girl to touch him, however, since his sand defense would not permit it thus, he passed the feeling off as a chill from the room.

"You train him. I'm not training a monster." Yoko gave one last menacing glare at Gaara before stalking away towards what was presumed as her own room.

"I'm terribly sorry for Yoko's rudeness, Gaara-sama. She can be quite cruel sometimes." Jin laughed nervously, desperately trying to lessen the tension in the room. "She'd make a pretty good interrogator though, neh?"

His laugh echoed in the room but did little to comfort them. Gaara gave a curt nod before turning his penetrating gaze upon the wide array of wooden equipment.

"The sooner I finish training, the sooner I will be out of your way." Gaara said coldly.

'_Why does everyone seem so cold?_' Jin sighed and went ahead to show the red head around.

* * *

When the silver haired girl shut the door to her tidy room, she locked it and slid down the wood with a heavy sigh. After a moment of sitting on the floor, she stood and decided to take her body to the softer bed in the corner of the small and darkly lit room.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she passed an old picture of herself and an older man placed on her dresser. As soon as she lay herself down upon the bed, she curled the thin light blue sheets around her form as if to protect herself from any vile monsters from under the bed or sand. She closed her eyes and clutched the corner of the sheets towards her heart.

The shadows embraced her tightly with no hesitation.

* * *

Author's Note: Ahem. Er... Okay, let's all be honest. Yoko's a bit of a bitch but I think you'll warm up to her later on.

By the way, in case this confuses you, this takes place shortly before Shukaku is extracted (or Shippuden). Oh and when you're reading , try to look out for the importance that shadows play in this story. It's pretty important.

Zomg, I love reviews. (I'm sorry to ask!)


	2. Waning Gibbous

Gaara took note that the moon must still have been rather large, only a small fraction of its previously stolen light cut off. It seemed that he would have to keep track of the moon through the count of days since it appeared that he would not be leaving this underground lair anytime soon.

Taka had come back that previous night to help Gaara set up his sleeping quarters though he would not be putting the bed to use. Jin must have remembered this when he watched Gaara's annoyed gaze at the bed and he told Gaara to use it as a resting station instead with a muttered apology.

Gaara noticed Jin defending the silver haired girl when he asked if she had caused any trouble. Jin had replied with an adamant negative to the question with a smile. The sun must have been beginning to rise for he heard a creak of the floorboard outside his room. Deciding that he had nothing better to do, he slid his door open and stepped out into the hallway to investigate. He glanced down the hallway to find that the noise was coming from the open gym that resided next to his room.

He silently slid this second thicker door open and closed it behind him as to not wake the rest of the sleeping people. There she was. This rude and cruel girl that dared to insult him with his past with her back towards him. He could kill her now if he chose to.

Her two silver braids shook with movement when her leg collided into the kicking bag that hung in the air. She brought her leg back up once more to kick but stopped it in mid kick and slowly let it descend. She turned around notified of Gaara's presence and glared.

"Go back to sleep, monster." She called out and turned back around to readjust the kicking bag a little higher.

Gaara didn't answer her and instead watched her click the chains in place. She paid him no attention as she situated herself with her front to Gaara. She positioned her self in a kicking stance and softly kicked it with her shin as if testing its durability. She rested her foot down. Her eyebrows then furrowed in concentration and she lifted her leg to give the kick.

The kick delivered such power that the chain broke and the bag flew straight towards Gaara. His sand shot up quickly without him even flinching and took the blow. Dust scattered itself in a cloud around the bag and the surrounding sand. The sand then lowered itself as fast as it had risen to reveal Yoko glaring at him.

"Don't you dare lay your ugly eyes on me, you murderer." Yoko growled before walking out of the gym and into the kitchen that Jin showed him the day before.

"Tch. That girl." Gaara heard Taka say behind him with a heavy sigh. "She has the right idea though. Hungry?"

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Jin was the last to wake and the last to enter the kitchen. Though the words reaching his ears as he walked in to scavenge for food made him want to return to his bed and curl under the blankets.

"I'm not cooking for the monster." Yoko's stated.

"Yoko, please. He's our guest." Their sensei replied exasperated.

"I said no the first time. I will continue to say no for every time you ask after that."

"Then I will no longer ask. I am now demanding you to follow my orders. I did not take you under my wing without teaching you respect. I expect you to treat Gaara-san as you would normally treat any other person I bring here." Jin's sleepy eyes opened in surprise as did Yoko's. Taka had never raised his voice at either of them before. Then again, neither of them had ever disobeyed him before.

"I can't do that." She regained herself and turned back around towards the stove.

"You will if you wish to continue training."

Yoko remained silent before turning the stove back on to make the food. Jin felt a bit depressed for Yoko. Gaara just stood silently against the wall as if he had heard none of it.

Taka's mouth curled downward. Both he and Jin could cook but he had wanted Yoko to cook. He wanted to teach her forgiveness. He didn't mean to be so stern. He had done what he had to in order for her to accept the fact that her worst enemy would be living under the same roof.

Hollow silence filled the room. The only sound that dared to speak were the eggs sizzling inside the pan completely oblivious to the hard glare Yoko gave them. With one swift movement, she dumped the eggs messily onto the plate and set the pan back down into the sink. She slammed the plate down on the table at the end spot closest to Gaara and farthest from her spot and started to walk off.

"Gaara, come sit. Yoko, eat at the table." For a second, Taka felt as if he were babysitting two immature children. Two children that could break the gym if a fight ever arose between them. To his relief, Gaara sat down on the end with no hesitation at the order, but Yoko was still walking to the door.

"Yoko." He said again. "Your breakfast is going to get cold. Come sit down." He pat the other end of the tale beside him.

"I don't eat with savages."

"Yoko." His warning came firmly. Yoko paused right before she got to the door with Jin still standing in front of it.

'_So close. Yet so far away_.' She thought bitterly as she glanced from the door to Jin. He tried to convey the message through his eyes for her to sit down as their sensei told her. He clearly didn't want to her to get in trouble. He never did.

She turned back around and trudged towards the table, taking the seat with disdain written upon her face. She made no move for her food, knowing that the monster was right across the table from her. He sickened her to the very core.

"Gaara-san, why don't you eat?" Taka suggested but Gaara only sat, not even sparing the food a glance but moved his eyes towards Taka's.

"Monsters do not take poison on a plate." He simply said with no emotion written upon his face but it was enough to send Yoko into a fit of rage.

"Then don't take it! Go find a defenseless child and gorge on his limb like you normally would!"

She stood abruptly in her spot. Her chair screeched behind her and tipped over with her force. The wooden table shook when she slammed her hands down onto it.

"You hear that sensei? My poisoned food's not good enough for him. He desires a blade to silence him." As her palm curled into a fist on the table, Taka barked.

"Yoko, silence that mouth of yours or leave. Gaara-san, eat the food. You may be the new Kazekage but don't for a second think that I cannot and will not order you around. You are under my roof and in my territory. And in my territory, my word is final."

"I'm not hungry."

"Trust me, you will be hungry. Our training will last all day. You'll need all the energy you can get." Taka's voice softened as Gaara leaned in to eat the warm food.

It truly sickened her to watch. She didn't even spare a glance at her sensei or Jin as she walked out of the room.

"Jin, come eat her food while it's still warm." Taka ignored the girl with a glum expression.

Jin felt bad for the silver haired girl but he listened to his sensei and sat down. He looked straight at the red head before turning his eyes upon Taka. They finally rested on his food and he began eating slowly. The loud thudding noises in the other room commenced.

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"Hah! Ungh!"

She took her anger out on the second kick bag that had not been destroyed. She followed no rhythm as she kicked then punched. Kick, kick, punch, kick, punch, kick, kick, kick. She was furious. It was as if her own sensei betrayed her. He knew her situation yet he still took on the damned mission and brought the demon back. She felt her leg starting to bruise because she lashed out in rage and not in her usual calculated calmness. As if that weren't bad enough, her sensei expected her to do the impossible.

With one last kick, she sent the bag swinging away on the chain only to stand up straight and catch it as it came back towards her. Her hands rested on either side of the bag and she rested her forehead on the rough texture. She could feel her eyes starting to water. A tear escape through the corner of her eye before she wiped it away. Taking a deep breath, she left towards her room for a long shower.

Opening her dresser drawer for clean clothes, she glanced onto the floor. She stopped what she was doing and did a double take. She growled in annoyance. Blood had seeped through her leg warmer and now pooled under her. She shut the drawers with clothes in hand to see a trail of blood following her. She must've kicked too hard in the wrong place causing the bars of weights strapped on the inside of her leg warmers to smash into her leg. She knew it would hurt but she didn't think she'd kick until it bled.

She didn't want to deal with it now, especially since she just heard the kitchen door open. Probably that monster wanting to make her life even more miserable. More blood ran down her ankle as she prepared bandages and finally stepped into the shower.

When she was finished, she turned the water off and wrapped the towel around her body. Stepping out of the tub, she paid no heed to the water rolling off her body and hair and onto the floor. Her leg injury rested on her right leg and kept on gushing out blood. She grabbed a hand towel and wiped the blood streaking across her leg as she sat on the closed toilet. The bandages were wrapped around her leg carefully but tightly. After Yoko was done bandaging her wound, she remained sitting on the toilet for a while with her head hung down between her elbows which lay resting on her knees.

She watched the shadow of the bathroom equipment stand still, tracing the outline. She scoffed before getting up to dress. She had no shadow.

As she lay on her bed, she could hear her sensei, Jin and the new… student train. Only the light thuds of a hit upon one of the bags of sand dared resonate in the hallway and into her room. Her body rested upon the bed for what must have been hours just staring up at the smooth white ceiling. Finally, she heard the hallway door open from the gym and could finally hear them.

"Jin, leave it. She will clean it up herself." Came Taka's cold voice and the door to his room next to hers shut. Another door was shut that she could only assume to be the monster's.

The foolish green haired boy must still have been standing out there. If Yoko didn't come out to clean the mess she made, he would probably do it for her. She wouldn't do that to the kind boy. Using her arms, she slid out of bed and out of her room.

Jin was indeed standing over the trail of blood. He stared into Yoko's blue eyes as she stood right outside her room. His eyes softened as they rested upon her red and puffy eyes. Even though the hall light was extremely dim, he could tell that she had recently cried.

"He's right. Why don't you go to bed, Jin? It's late."

Her voice was not usually so cold, Jin thought. He'd seen her smile many times before but this new presence only brought back bad memories. Memories that plagued her when she first came to train under Taka-sensei. It had been four years since then and she had changed so much. She'd become such a pleasant girl. It pained Jin to see her personality revert back to her old self so quickly.

Yoko watched Jin look at her with sad eyes. She knew what he was thinking and felt slight remorse for her behavior. This tall lanky boy with shorter tousled leaf-green hair showed too much compassion. The silver haired girl laid her eyes on the blood.

"I'll be fine."

Jin gave a nod but paused before closing the door to his room. Yoko left to retrieve a soaked towel and began washing the floor of her blood. Luckily, Taka had the brilliant idea of building the place with a hardwood floor to match everything else wood in the underground home. Unluckily though, the blood had dried, leaving a crimson-brown residue. Yoko scrubbed even harder.

For hours, that was what the three men listened to. Not a single one of them slept. Gaara, of course, could not. He tried to search through his mind to see when or how he had offended this stupid girl, but he could not come up with anything. The sound of scrubbing stopped. Gaara heard the hall door slide open and soon it slid closed again. The scrubbing continued.

It bothered him. Not knowing the reason why she hated him so much. He had certainly changed. Before, he would have paid no heed to this girl's feelings. Now, he couldn't help but wonder what ailed her so. She had called him a murderer. Perhaps she felt sorry for the lives of the people he killed before the Chuunin exams. Perhaps he had killed a friend or a family member of hers. Perhaps he had even threatened her own life. He cursed the blond fox from Konoha for making him think so much about other people.

He slid the doors to his bedroom and hallway open silently and much more carefully so that the girl would not hear his presence. Her back was toward him again. He watched her move back and forth across the floor on her hands and knees, swishing a pink towel back and forth. She wore a white bathrobe and smelled like soap, alerting Gaara that she'd taken a shower. It was a nice. He'd been smelling sweat and blood all day.

Unfortunately, he himself had become rather sweaty though the day of training did little for him. His sand kept getting in the way of his training. He had tried to make it stay still but it was no use as it shot up the instant Jin tried to spar with him to determine where he was. He had a long way to go before he could claim that he was even adequate at taijutsu.

Gaara silently watched her work for a while before deciding to make his presence known. He slid the door closed behind him with little noise. It was enough to make Yoko stop.

"Jin, I don't help. Go back to bed." It was the softest tone Gaara had ever heard her use.

"I'm not Jin." Yoko heard the low voice say.

She quickly flipped around on her knees as if she needed to see the proof that it was indeed her nemesis. Yoko regretted it, for now she had to look up from the floor to see his face. She felt weaker than him. Not liking this feeling, she stood up to see him at nearly the same level, though he was still a bit taller.

"What do you want?" That cold voice returned.

"Your cleaning the house is breaking my concentration." Gaara replied just as cold. He saw her bite her lip.

"If you came out here to criticize me then return back to the room."

"Do not tell me what to do." Both of them glared at each other.

Wordlessly, Yoko kneeled back down to scrub the bloodstain that did not want to come off. This time, she kneeled with her back to the wall and her front to Gaara just in case. She washed while Gaara watched for a while before he disturbed the peace.

"I'm hungry." She didn't reply. "Make food."

"Make your own. I'm not your servant."

"Your sensei will be upset."

Yoko frowned and scrubbed the floor even harder at the thought of Taka siding with this monster. A few more minutes passed before she got up and walked towards the kitchen with Gaara following behind her.

When they entered the kitchen, Gaara took the wall and leaned against it with his aquamarine eyes following her movements carefully. She prepared the meal in silence and brought it to the table. It reminded her that she had not eaten the entire day. She wiped her wet hands on a towel before noticing that Gaara was leaving.

"Is it too plain for your blood-thirsty tastes?" She asked with a scowl.

"I did not say make the food for me."

Gaara did not look back as he stepped out into the light.

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**Author's note:**

If you were wondering what I meant last time and came to the conclusion that Yoko has a demon- you are wrong. I realized that I might've made it sound like it but this is not true. I don't like to make my oc contain demons. It's too overused for my tastes. The part where I said she has no shadow- she has one. She was just speaking metaphorically so don't get all confused. She has no godly powers.

Anyway, if you can spare a few seconds, please review and tell me what I might do to make it better!


	3. Waning Gibbous: Part 2

**Waning Gibbous: part 2**

* * *

Yoko stared at the food gingerly before her. She couldn't believe that the monster would do something like this for her. He had to be up to something. This isn't how he was. None of this was supposed to be how it was. She was the one that was supposed to find him. She was the one that was supposed to make his life miserable. For god's sake, she was supposed to get revenge!

Now it was the food that seemed to stare her down. It was getting rather ludicrous. She couldn't have any doubts about her intentions. Especially not now. Once one enters a serious battle, the only way to win is to kill the other. The only chance of survival was to harbor the strong will to kill another for the sake of living. It was the rule of life.

She threw the food away and left for bed.

* * *

For the normal person, a ray of sunlight is often what wakes them up in the late morning. For these underground inhibitors, these rays of vitamin D were nonexistent.

Yoko did not wake up. She'd stayed up, tossing and turning in her mess of blue bed sheets. Her eyes were burning and her mind ached- not to mention her body. The wound had throbbed with a bitter pain all night.

As she lay, she heard the noises of her housemates rousing. It took a while for the noises to stop and the other inhabitants to leave for the kitchen. The plan of attack: do nothing. She continued to stare at the ceiling with a blank stare deciding that it would be best not to have a run-in with the monster or Taka.

Her heart tightened uncomfortably and a lump started to form in the back of her throat. She knew why this was and why she had the urge to roll her eyes back and grind her teeth. Her very own sensei had betrayed her. She had looked up to him as her rescuer. Both he and Jin had welcomed her and offered a glimmer of light for her to take.

Taka knew why she hated the monster. Yet why was he still there? Why was Taka training him to be even stronger? Why didn't he seem to care about her anymore? Had she not been a good student?

For the past few years, Yoko had always gotten up early just to train. She did everything Taka had ever asked of her. Had she done something wrong? Was she boring him now? Why didn't he understand how she felt?! Her eyes seemed to burn even more.

But she wouldn't cry. It was a sign of weakness. Her elder sister had told her that. Besides, she would never cry for the monster. She had already cried plenty in her previous years because of him. Yet her sensei… These many thoughts swirled around in her head creating more questions and answering absolutely none while soft taps could be heard as they started training.

* * *

He'd seen it. When Jin lifted the lid open to toss away garbage, he'd seen the food lying at the very bottom in a glance as he left the kitchen. It looked as if none of it had been consumed as it was intended. Gaara frowned inwardly. This girl was starting to infuriate him more than she should've been. Overall, it was not good for her health.

She'd not taken his rare show of kindness and instead pushed it away and into the can. Calling him nothing but a monster, a murderer and just plain nothing was hard enough. He understood why she would've said those things and took it since they were all true. At least of his past self, but he had changed. No longer was he the bloodthirsty demon like Shukaku.

Yet the fact that she would not get over it and give him a second chance was infuriating. She was probably just one of the many people that would not respect him and still thought him to be a monster.

She was just like the old villagers who would look down on him in shame or even fear. Just like them, he was just a monster to her. He was still regarded as a monster to everyone even when on countless occasions he had saved the village and put his very life on the line. Even when he showed them all silent kindness and took the nasty blows of their glares. Very little had seemed to change since the past. The ugly fact was that he would continue to receive those ill looks from everybody for possibly the rest of his life. As long as Shukaku resided within him against his will; he would be hated. If he couldn't change one girl's opinion of him, how was he to change the rest?

It was disappointing to think of and utterly lugubrious. He had been fighting for the past two years to gain respect. He had become Kazekage of Suna and endured many toils just to protect the village and hopefully change those looks he received. And because he had become Kazekage, rarely were there any glares or names shouted at his face, but behind his back… They still didn't trust him.

Gaara got the feeling that it would be the same result with the silver-haired girl. No matter what he would do, it would all result in the same ending.

He watched the long blonde-haired teacher demonstrate how to kick properly on the hanging sandbag. Out of the corner of his eye, he could still see the bag that was brutally beaten by Yoko the previous day. It still lay limp on the ground and forgotten.

He was sure that both Taka and Jin noticed Yoko's absence. It looked like she was going to avoid him at all costs. None of the men said anything though. It was kept quiet as if uttering her name would send her flying out like a screaming banshee.

Taka patted the bag before moving to the side to watch Gaara give a try. Or at least attempt one. He thought it was a good enough kick but apparently this was not so as he heard Taka clicking his tongue disapprovingly.

"Your form needs work. You need to put in more power and speed. Also, kick higher."

Gaara gave a nod and gave another kick. Speed was not possible for him. His ultimate defense ensured that. He heard the annoying clicking again and nearly twitched. This would take much more than a month.

* * *

Soon, night fell and everyone retired to their destined rooms. The second Yoko heard the third door slide shut and the lock click, she began her work. Drawers were pulled open. Clothes, sheets and other needed items were ripped away from their original locations and thrown into one big bag. After the last of the items were sealed shut inside the bag with a zipper, she showered and changed into her usual outfit. Her hair braided and her bandages on, she put on a determined face before closing her room door.

She held her breath as she slowly and silently slid the hall door shut. She waited a moment to make sure that nobody was disturbed and everyone was still sleeping. Her breath was released and she turned around, only to take in a sharp breath again.

"And just were do you think you're going?"

Taka had his arms crossed and stood right in front of Yoko. He had to look down from his taller height at the petite girl. He watched the look of surprise wash off her face and a sudden coldness take over. Her delicate features were adorned with cold blue eyes to match her frowning lips.

"Out." Came her reply with a tone that surprised even Taka.

He felt a tug of sadness at his heartstrings as his favorite student was regarding him as if he were a villainous outsider.

"Yoko, please. This is all for your own good." He kept his gaze steady as Yoko's eyes pierced through him with anger.

"How is staying with that murderer at all good for me?"

"You need to let go of the past."

"Easy for you to say, isn't it? You don't know him as well as I do."

"He's changed."

"Perhaps, but that will not bring _him_ back."

The blond haired man did not let off his gaze at the mention of the deceased man. His eyes softened at the sight of this young girl. So consumed in revenge that she lost what she had hoped to gain. The light no longer shown on her because she pushed it away from herself without realizing it.

"Where will you be?" He asked her. Maybe she just needed some time to herself.

"Around."

"Are you going to see your sister?"

"I don't know." She swiped a part of her bangs out of her eyes. '_If the gods decide to look upon me favorably, then I won't have to_.' She thought acrimoniously.

"How long will you be gone for?"

"Does it matter?" She scoffed and twisted around Taka to stride towards the stairs across the large room.

"It does matter. To me it does. Don't forget that." Taka closed his eyes and listened to Yoko's footsteps. They never even paused.

"Whatever." She brushed it off easily and climbed the shadow-covered stairs. The wooden door was lifted and she threw her bag over then her body. The door was slammed shut. She sat with her hand still on the door. She swallowed the dryness in her throat.

'_So he hasn't abandoned me_.' Yoko thought with a small smile. 'But it doesn't look like he's going to give that monster the boot either.' The silver-haired girl slung the bag over her left shoulder and walked out of the house.

"It's been months." She took in a breath of fresh air once she closed the front door of the tiny hut behind her. Glittering white dots spilled across the sky in random patterns.


End file.
